如果你喜欢stir-fry, you need a wok. Unlike a skillet, a wok has sloped sides that give you more surface area for cooking and naturally direct food into the center of the pan, where it’s hottest. This helps food sear quickly and keeps ingredients from spilling out as you toss and stir. More specifically, you need a flat-bottom wok, which is designed to sit directly over a stove’s burner so it gets very hot. Round-bottom woks, though more traditional, often need to be stabilized with a wok ring, which can lift them up and away from the burner and keep them from really heating up.

And then you need to pick a material. Cast iron, carbon steel, and nonstick are the most popular types of woks on the market today. We tested models in all three categories to understand the benefi ts and drawbacks of each. Here are the top performers in each category.

碳素钢

乔伊斯·陈（Joyce Chen Pro-Chef），14英寸
$ 40 ATchefscatalog.com

碳钢炒面不如重型铸铁耐用，但它们很轻，很快就会加热。Seasoning is a must for these woks避免生锈并防止食物粘住。

Why this wokThe Joyce Chen Pro-Chef wok heated faster and more evenly than other models in this category. Chicken browned quickly without sticking to the pan, and shrimp came out evenly cooked. The roomy, 6½ -inch flat bottom gave strips of beef plenty of space to sear (in another carbon-steel model, the beef was too crowded and didn’t brown well).

Pro-Chef重约4磅，有一个防热手柄，一侧有舒适的握力，另一侧有宽侧手柄，在烹饪时易于控制。制造商推荐的最初调味过程花费了大约一个小时，但此后的每个搅拌测试都进行了。

铸铁

Lodge Pro-Logic Wok，14英寸
$80 atlodgemfg.com

Cast-iron woks are extremely durable and excel at retaining and evenly distributing heat. That said, they’re also heavy and take a while to heat up when compared to carbon-steel and nonstick models. Cast-iron woks need to be seasoned.

Why this wokLodge Pro Logic Wok以其坚固的结构和出色的性能赢得了我们。It weighs 14 pounds and took at least 10 minutes to heat up, but once hot, it distributed and held heat like no other cast-iron wok we tested: We didn’t need to turn the stovetop dial past medium to sear beef, and shrimp was perfectly cooked in less than 2 minutes. What’s more, the food cooked without sticking, making for quick cleanup. The wok has two looped side handles (which do get hot) and just the right amount of curve to make scooping out food easy (unlike other woks we tested, it’s fully rounded on the inside, with a flat base on the outside). This model comes preseasoned.

不粘

海伦·陈（Helen Chen）的亚洲厨房Excalibur掩盖了锅，14英寸
$50 atamazon.com

不粘woks prevent food from sticking, require little to no seasoning before using, and are easy to clean. Not every nonstick finish can tolerate the high temperatures required for stir-fries, though, so some models won’t last as long as cast-iron and carbon-steel alternatives.

Why this wokWith two coats of nonstick finish applied to a stainless-steel-coated carbon-steel base, the Helen Chen Excalibur is designed to withstand the high heat required for stir-fries. It was fast to heat up and maintained a well-distributed heat throughout testing. Beef seared beautifully, and chicken browned nicely. Other nonstick models we tested just weren’t up to the task: When we stuck to the medium-high heat recommended for one model, broccoli came out limp, and beef simmered instead of sizzled. In another wok, the nonstick finish degraded, developing patches of black, sticky residue when we turned the burner to high.

Excalibur具有长长的，符合人体工程学和耐热手柄和对立的辅助手柄，易于操纵。它具有6 3/4英寸宽的底部，并带有圆顶玻璃盖。Excalibur是我们测试过的唯一不粘型号，需要在首次使用之前进行轻调味，但这很容易做，只需5分钟。

电动选项

Presto Stainless-Steel Electric Wok
$ 75 ATsears.com

Electric woks free up stovetop space and automatically maintain pre-set cooking temperatures. Although some models can’t reach the high temperatures that stir-frying demands, we found that the Presto Stainless-Steel Electric Wok best met the challenge.

炒锅位于坚固的铝制底座上，有两个循环的侧柄，在烹饪过程中保持凉爽，并带有钢化玻璃盖。它相当快地加热并保持稳定，足够的搅拌温度。它不会像在炉子的较高热量上煮熟的炒菜那样浓烈，芳香的味道，但是对于那些想要插件选项的人来说，这是一个不错的选择。

What to look for

SizeA 14-inch wok is great for preparing a stir-fry for four, while a 10-inch wok will suffice for a one-person meal.

Shape寻找一个既不陡峭的炒锅，却不太陡（到垂直近距离），也不会太浅。平坦的底部应不超过7英寸，否则锅的功能比锅更像煎锅。

HandleFor lighter woks, a long stick-style handle with an opposing helper handle provides maximum control. Heavier woks (such as cast iron) often have two looped side handles for safer lifting. Wooden and heatresistant handles are designed to tolerate high temperatures; metal handles may become hot.

安全坚固的结构和牢固的手柄将在烹饪过程中阻止锅翻倒。

LidSometimes sold as part of a wok set, lids can also be purchased separately. A lid that is 1/2 to 1 inch smaller than the top of the wok will fit snugly inside. A glass lid lets you monitor food while it cooks. An aluminum lid with a plastic, stay-cool knob will save you from having to use potholders when lifting the lid.

我们如何测试

我们通过将虾，鸡肉和牛肉与西兰花搅拌测试了九个平底锅（碳钢，铸铁和不粘类别中的三个锅）。我们评估了每个炒锅的加热能力，包括加热速度和保存速度。我们研究了设计，调味的方法（如果需要），不粘涂层的耐用性（对于不粘型号），易于处理和清理。